Shelf bracket



Aug. 5, 1941.

R. s. SANFORD snm1 BRACKET Filed Jan'. 21,- 195s Patentecl Aug. 5, 1941 Roy S. Sanford, akvll Aut'oyre Company,

Conn., a. corporation of Connecticut e, Conn., assigner. to Th'ev Incorporated,- Oakville,

Application January 21, 1938; SerialfNo. 186;()3

(ol. 248-241) v 2 Claims.

This invention relates tol a shelf bracket and has special reference' to a 'means for supporting shelves 'of varying widths on a wall in a manner to accommodateA lack ofuniformity of the shelves.

More particularly, this invention relates to'an adjustable shelf bracket comprising a metal frame. having a wall-engaging' portion and an angularly extendingA shelf-engaging portionwith abrace connectedI therebetween, there preferably beingV aslide frictionally engaging the shelf-engaging portionv and eXtensible therefrom for accommodating shelvesl of varying widths. Also, the brace. may beiadjustably connected between the wall. and the shelf-engaging portion to obtain a. desi-reell position of fixed adjustment therebetween when the bracket is xed to--the wall.

Shelves of wood and evenof metal or glass are not always uniform and, in fact, quite frequently the bracket-engaging portions thereof may lie in. separate planes. A popular type of shelf glass,V now commercially exploitedby chain stores has. a so-called. bulb edge and is thereby non-uniformas to thickness. The glass may be warped or twistedin a mannersuch` thatit would not restv on. shelf-engaging portions of brackets lying in Va commonplane. lWood, of course, is known to warp when damp, and. sheet metal likewise may` obtain. a twist in its manufacture' orV handling, all of which necessitate brackets which in order to prevent instability of the shelf must be 'shapedto conform to the shelf rather than the shelf conform to the brackets.

Lengthwise Warp or twist of a shelf has been accommodated' in thepresent invention by means of 4an adjustable brace between the shelf-engaging portion and the wall-engaging portion of the bracket. Irregularities across the width of the shelf are accommodated by means of the provision of seats at each end of the shelf-supporting portion of the bracket, the seats being raised above the level of the body portion thereof. Varying Widths of the shelf are accommodated by means of a frictional slide engaging the shelfsupporting portion of the bracket. Thus all conditions tending to instability of the shelf, whether across the width of the shelf or extending lengthwise of the shelf, are obviated in the present invention. Also, the present invention contemplates uniformity of size as to the bracket while accommodating various widths of shelves.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide la bracket of the type hereinabove noted wherein the brace connected between the wall and shelf-engaging portions ofthe bracket is adjustable' to Vsupport in'a stable manner a shelf having bracket-engaging 'surfaces which lie in diiferent planes.

Another object of this invention is to' provide ashelf bracket ofthe type aboveA noted; having anextensible slide for accommodating shelves of n various widths.

A still further object of this inventionfr is to provide a shelf bracket of the type indicated abovel wherein the shelf-engagingportion of the bracket isprovided with seats at theends'thereof raised above the level of the main body portion so vas to accommodate' shelves of irregularv surface conformations.

It is 'also an object of' this inventionv toy provide ashelf bracket as hereinbefore recited wherein the brace isformedv of spaced wire members for permitting direct accessto the securing means for the"wallengagingv portion of the bracket;`

Other objects and advantages ofrth-is invention will hereinafter be more particularly pointed out and for amore` complete understanding of the characteristic fea-tures ofv this invention, reference maynow-be-had` to the following description when taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which latter: Iligure 1 is la side elevational view partially 'in section ofa shelfbracket incorporating the'features of thisl inventionrand showing a. shelf in sectiondisposed thereon Withthe bracket being secured to -a wall;

Fig.` 2.is a front view partially in section taken on'the ,line 2`-2ofFig. l; and Y Fig.' 3 is anund'ernea'th viewipartially vin section taken' on the line 3-3 of Fig. l'.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, thereof, the shelf bracket shown therein and incorporating the features of this invention comprises a wallengaging portion I5 having an langularly extending shelf-engaging portion I6. A brace I1 is connected between the wall and shelf-engaging portions for reinforcing the bracket. A slide I8 frictionally engages the shelf-engaging portion I6 Vand is extensible therefrom for accommodating shelves, such as the glass shelf I9, of varying widths.

The wall-engaging portion I5 of the bracket is preferably formed of a strip of sheet metal which is embossed peripherally thereof in order that a maximum strength may be obtained from la minimum weight of material and also to enhance the appearance of the bracket. A hole 20 is provided adjacent each end of the wall-engaging portion for the reception of screws 2l or other securing means.

The shelf-engaging portion I6 is preferably formed integrally with the wall-engaging portion I5, flanges 22 being formed preferably at right angles to the main body portion and of an overall dimension in width to correspond substantially to the width of the wall-engaging portion so that the edges abut against the peripheral surfaces of the wall-engaging portion as at A to aid in supporting the shelf-engaging portion in its angular position. The abutting edge indicated at A may be cut at any angle that is desirable to support the shelf.

An outward extension of the flange 22 is directed inwardly to form opposed channels 23 and 24, the depth of the channels being of substantially the thickness of the material of the slide I8 so as to slidably receive and thereby permit an adjustment of the slide toI accommodate shelves of various widths. The outer end of the shelf-engaging portion of the bracket is formed with inwardly directed cooperating fingers 25 and 26 which meet substantially centrally of the width of the shelf-engaging portion and are preferably inclined in a direction toward the slide I8 to provide a frictional engagement therewith. An aperture 2'! is formed in the slide I8 in the path of the cooperating fingers 25 and 26, the slide being extensible to a position that the fingers 25 and 26 spring into engagement with the aperture 21 to limit the outward movement of the slide.

The shelf I9 in the instance of the drawing is shown as being formed of glass provided with a bulb edge 28 making the shelf non-uniform as to thickness over the width thereof, In order that the surface of the shelf may be held level and the shelf as a whole held in a stable condition, obviating a rocking motion thereof, a seat 29 is provided in the shelf-engaging portion of the bracket adjacent the inner end thereof and a seat 30 is provided in the slide adjacent the outer end thereof, both seats being raised above the level of the remaining body portions respectively thereof. The slide I8 is preferably formed at its outer end with a hook-shaped extension 3I of any desired shape so as to prevent outward displacement of the shelf. The hook-shaped eX- tension of the slide clampingly holds the shelf I9 against the wall 32 through frictional engagement between the slide and the bracket and, of course, the weight of the shelf, as well as the weight of the members which rest thereon, prevents displacement in the other direction.

CTI

I lflat surface of substantial width for engagement with the respective surfaces of the bracket so that a better weld may be obtained. The spaced relation of the side bars 33 permit direct access to the securing means for the bracket, the screw 2I being directly accessible for the use of a screw driver without any inconvenience whatsoever.

While but a vsingle embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various modifications thereof may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention and, therefore, the same is only to be limited by the scope of the prior art and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable shelf bracket comprising a resilient metal frame having a wall engaging portion and an angularly extending shelf-engaging portion, said shelf-engaging portion having integrally formed opposed channels, a brace connected between said Wall and shelf-engaging portions, a slide engaging the channels of said shelfengaging portion and extensible therefrom for accommodating shelves of varying Widths, and a nger formed integrally with said shelf-engaging portion for frictionally engaging said slide to resist movement thereof in said channels, said finger engaging an aperture in said slide to limit the outward movement thereof.

2. An adjustable shelf bracket comprising a frame having a wall-engaging portion and an angularly extending shelf-engaging portion formed of a single strip of sheet metal, said shelf-engaging portion having longitudinally extending flanges bent downwardly from opposed edges with one end of each of the flanges thereof engaging said wall-engaging portion, the other end of each of the anges being bent inwardly in a direction toward each other to form opposed channels, and a slide engaging said opposed channels and being slidably adjustable therein for accommodating shelves of Varying widths.

ROY S. SANFORD. 

